Heavy rains, flooding displace 975 families, damage 1,348 homes in western Sudan

Heavy rainfall and flooding displaced 975 families and completely or partially damaged 1,348 homes in North Darfur state in western Sudan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Thursday, Anadolu reports.

The flooding struck Tawila town and the villages of Masal, Marar, Katur and Tabsa in Tawila locality on Wednesday, the UN migration agency said in a statement.

IOM field teams reported that 975 homes were completely destroyed and another 373 were partially damaged.

The displaced families sought temporary shelter in open areas within the same locality, the agency added.

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On Wednesday, the IOM said heavy rainfall and flash floods had destroyed 108 homes and displaced dozens of families in the North Darfur towns of Kabkabiya and Shangil Tobaya.

Sudan typically experiences heavy rainfall during the June-October rainy season, with flooding affecting large parts of the country each year.

The flooding comes as Sudanese civilians continue to face the consequences of a war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces that began in April 2023.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced or forced about 15 million others to flee, according to UN and local estimates.

READ: IOM: 2,500 people displaced by clashes in Sudan’s Blue Nile state